Bussyness as a life style

After the definition of the phenomenon or problem, let's return to the options that can be played out in the working dynamics and orientation of thinking of employed individuals. Everything here revolves around two concepts - speeding up or slowing down.

The term "slowing down" is an attempt to seek relief from social acceleration. Social acceleration is defined as "an increase in the number of actions or experiences per unit of time."

Acceleration in itself leads to preoccupation, which is also called "time sickness" or "sense of urgency"; our time seems to be running out, there is not enough of it, and we have to run faster and faster just to keep up and successfully meet all social standards. In response to that kind of pressure, people are looking for oases of slowing down, which are somewhat different from lying on the couch with Netflix. One extreme example comes from South Korea, where some overworked and busy people check themselves into a fake prison and reduce their burnout syndrome by removing all forms of external busyness.

If we look around, we can notice that many adults are leaving or at least thinking about leaving stable jobs in order to dedicate themselves to a slower and more relaxed rhythm of life, different and more productive occupations such as various trades, agriculture or manufacturing. This is not just a result of newly discovered interests, but the result of the past year traumatizing, exhausting and pushing them to the edge. Busy status as a reward just doesn't hold water anymore.

If slowing down becomes a more dominant signal of well-being and social status instead of busyness, it could set the standard for what we try to help others do as well. After we had the opportunity to create the rhythm of our daily life on our own during the last year, returning to the same hectic way of life and work will not be as attractive. Getting up at the crack of dawn, exercising before work, commuting through traffic and grabbing quick side meals at various meetings 5 ​​days a week doesn't sound equally appealing to everyone. Hybrid work will remain a part of our everyday life where most of us have to try to maintain a healthy rhythm of duties with occasional stops and breaks.

Apart from the individual pace of life, the slowdown refers to the entire social movement. Sustainability and deceleration in fashion, design, food or production emphasize values ​​that are paired with ethical consumption and production - including better living wages for low-skilled workers, product prices, minimal environmental impact and better quality of life.

Whether these social changes will become the norm or we will soon forget them and return to the glorification of overemployment is a question that will largely define the labor market and the economy of the future.

Sources:

Conspicuous Consumption of Time: When Busyness and Lack of Leisure Time Become a Status Symbol

Silvia Bellezza, Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan